Red 'honey' in Utah may come from candy-fed bees

Sep. 5, 2013

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — What appears to be red honey is showing up in some Utah beehives and state officials say it may be coming from bugs feasting on candy cane byproduct.

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food officials say they’ve received several complaints about the odd-colored goo in hives in Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties. They say the bees were apparently fed the byproduct that came from a candy factory.

Officials say they don’t have any reason to call the red substance unsafe, but advise beekeepers not to mix it with normal-colored honey and to report it to the state.

Regulators are investigating whether the substance can be considered honey. Beehive State standards define honey as a product that originates from a floral source.